In an era increasingly defined by social and geo-political polarisation, financial instabilities, and shifting cultural policies, the responsibilities of library leaders have become both more visible and more challenging.

Libraries need to navigate the increasingly complex intersections of academic freedom, freedom of speech, censorship, and the management of contested spaces and collections. These complexities call for vision and clarity to restate and communicate the values of research libraries.   

RLUK26 explored how libraries can adopt dynamic, inclusive, empathetic, and strategic approaches to successfully manage the myriad human challenges they face, embrace the contested nature of library spaces, and support world-class research.